Weather was favorable, the training was quite rigorous. The group was very inspired, friendly and focused. A good time was had by all and the seeds of this practice have been panted. Next session is in the planning phases.

Yesterday was a special day as we welcomes Omar Lakri through the door of traditional Chen Shi Taijiquan Gongfu Jia! He has been a hard working student and now as a 21st gen. Tudi of the art he will walk the path of a serious cultivator of the practice and be a resource for its survival in years to come. He is fortunate through the right place & right time, as well as his own efforts to have glimpsed the feeling and method of the traditional gongfu, no turning back now! For those who are the serious searchers and are lucky enough to bump into the real thing, it is difficult or impossible to turn away, challenging as it is.

As a small and traditionally focused bitter gongfu society we are happy to have yet another reliably hard working developer of this practice to our family. Welcome Omar!

Welcome to the applications laboratory. Here is where we play, consider, experiment and assemble. In this method, Chen Taijiquan applications are not stored in eroding antique books or museums, or the rarified hands of ordained “masters”, but in the hands of those who build the body method and movement patterns by long term bitter form practice.

In this video we explore a number of possibilities for application derived from sections of a move/sequence from Yilu Quan called “Tuibu Yazhou” or, retreating step press elbow. Specifically here we focus on ways to use very small sections of the form, such as a single foot method on its own or a two handed change that many people would simply pass over as a transitional movement.

This style, commonly referred to as a form and labeled “Xinjia” or New Frame Chen Style Taijiquan, in popular (mainstream) exposure often does not bother with these tiny sections of the forms because most often when this “form” is taught along with others the depth of detail in these tiny sections is either not learned or taught, or not seen as important.

In the family line of this style, every inch of the form practice is considered important. There are in fact no ‘transitional’ sections of the form that are devoid of their own useful jin or method. Even though sections may be artfully strung together using apparently connecting movements, these movements in themselves are also training specific jin.

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This is how we do it some days, but when not on camera everyone gets to try it and drill it. This is not supposed to represent any absolute ideal response or situation in actual conflict. It is to explore possible options one can use if they seem suitable in a particular moment, in particular positions and relating to specific energies or method that one might be faced with. Besides whether or not these particular method might be suitable to anyone’s situation, they are simply useful ways to begin to think about what and why one might be practicing certain Jin and sequences for in form training.

In this type of study it is important to let go of preconceived notions of how things should look and the idea of looking good at all, and just look at function. In a live situation there is no one there to comment on whether or not you are leaning or you look like you are demonstrating Taiji. If you understand the origin of the Jin your are using and have developed it in the body from proper gongfu practice and it WORKS, that is enough.

A surefire topic for controversy as discussed here, is also the idea of Peng, the wheel and the dent. Many styles of Taijiquan do not have what is commonly called “Chuan Zhang” or piercing palm. This may be why many do not consider the need to deal with it and hold the belief that Peng is the answer to just about anything. Peng of course is a great answer, until it is not.

In many dynamic situations we might choose (as we did not here) to simply use footwork and surrender space when faced with a crushing force. It is most often a better idea to be safe and avoid taking on a struggle in a tight spot such as extricating one’s self from Chuan Zhang and just step out or around, but it is of paramount importance to learn how to continue to flow from the territory and root that one occupies before choosing to step out, or step at all.

This is a specific difference between for example, Bagua Zhang and this type of Taijiquan. Expanding from the concepts of tuishou, Taijiquan works from root and established position first, then once control and change is ‘mastered’ within the limits of position, change of position is involved. This is not due to a lack of interest or curriculum in footwork, but more an desire to train stability and proficiency in any position one may find themselves rather than being forced to change position by an opponent. Positional change should be elective rather than compelled.

One of the special qualities of Taijiquan gongfu, is the ‘through the looking glass’ aspect of the practice. Regardless of the ever-ongoing debate about the meaning of ‘internal’ in internal arts, there is a very obvious and easy to grasp internal aspect to this practice. In Taijiquan practice, of absolute paramount importance is to develop a deep knowing of one’s own body. This in itself is a very internal practice.

Writing from Beijing, again. Revisiting old friends, old places, old feelings, and rekindling and examining old thoughts. Something as simple and powerful as a smell can return one to the root and seed of gongfu acquisition, if that is how one lived it.

This blog has been very hard to access, likely due to server distance or some other more insurmountable reasons, so just this short note for now.

Beijing, always changing and eating itself, I find this time, feels much more like ten years ago to me than 6 years ago. I don’t notice the omnipresent residential blocks that were sprouting up when I lived here so much now. At that time it was all the noise and construction cranes, but now they are just lived in as they are probably close to running out of room to build them, and forlorn families to kick out of residences to claim land for more.

This time, I don’t really notice them, and I am staying in one anyhow. What I notice is all the things I lived with before, that seem to not have changed very much. Plenty of things HAVE changed of course, but it seems more is the same than I expected. Although the society becomes more modern in very obvious ways, apparently many people who have become modernized are also going to revert to their traditional ways when they grow older. There is still no shortage of traditional culture in Beijing, and of course gongfu is sewn into that tapestry.

I do hope the powers that be can find a way to address their air quality issues because that is a bit terrifying, equally worrisome is the food safety situation. Aside from those issues, it is such an interesting place (for those who speak the language).

I am going to write a lot more about this in the future and also have some photos to share, but for now, a rest and then off to see Shifu again.